The Clones at Adventure World
by neve-grey
Summary: The Clones spend the day at an amusement park with Kira. How will Helena feel about being left out?
1. Chapter 1

It was Alison's idea to go to Adventure World. Ever since the accident with the car, she had felt an overwhelming sense of maternal instinct towards Kira. While the whole 'clone' concept was still a total nightmare in her mind – and she often found herself dreaming of normalcy – try as she might, she couldn't escape the growing bond between them all.

Had Beth still been alive (Alison definitely missed her, even if she wouldn't admit it), she would have drafted the idea by the cop first. Instead she chose to talk to Cosima.

The dreadlocked scientist was sprawled out on her hotel bed, sheets of paper and remnants of Eskimo Pie scattered around her. Delphine had just gone out, and she was contemplating having a smoke. It was Saturday and she knew the day would be devoted to research.

Her second phone buzzed. Thoughts still on Delphine and their morning activities, she saw Alison's name illuminated on the screen. She groaned. She wasn't in the mood for the high-intensity soccer mom.

But plagued with curiosity – had something happened? – she decided to answer.

"What's up, Alison?"

"Hi Cosima. I was wondering if I could… have a chat with you?"

The scientist couldn't help but crack a smile. She could tell straight away that Alison was doing her best to be casual and calm – but it was something both she and Sarah had difficulty pulling off.

"Sure. Is everything alright?"

"Yes, yes, everything is fine. The kids are staying with my mother at the moment, and Donnie is… Donnie has gone to visit his parents for a while. Uh… I actually wanted to talk to you about Kira."

"Mhm? What about her? You know I'm still in the process of analysing her and Sarah's DNA, right? It's not something that can be done overnight –"

"No, it's nothing like that, no. It's – well. It's more personal, I suppose."

"More personal than DNA?" Cosima scoffed, leaning over and grabbing a lighter off the bedside cabinet.

"Very funny," Alison said coldly. "No. I wanted to ask you about… well. Do you feel somehow, connected, or… partially responsible… to Kira?"

Cosima lit up her joint and considered the words for a few moments. She knew exactly what Alison was saying. Taking a couple of deep drags, she thought about how there was nothing she wouldn't do to protect Sarah's little girl.

"Are you still there?" Alison pressed.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I'm here. Uh… yes. I do feel connected to Kira. I think it's pretty natural that we'd feel like that."

"Cosima, none of this is _natural_ –"

"You know what I mean."

Cosima stretched out on her bed as the effects of the pot began settling over her. She had disabled the smoke alarm the previous night.

"And we know Helena certainly _has a connekshon_," Cosima added with her attempt at the accent.

"I would like to spend some time with Kira," Alison said abruptly. "I had an idea, and I wanted to see if you'd be on board."

Cosima heard the faint sound of a wine glass being set on a table, and strangely felt a sudden rush of affection for Alison. The two of them were completely different, sure – but here there they both were. Cosima puffing away and Alison chugging back wine. She wondered vaguely what Sarah was doing in that moment, and had to remind herself that they were not sisters.

"Tell me your idea," Cosima said, stubbing out the rest of the pot.

"I'd like to take Kira to Adventure World. I want you to come too. And Sarah, of course. Like I said… I want to get to know Kira better. And… it might be nice to do something fun. This whole business is so serious and exhausting…"

Cosima was smiling. At the mere mention of the idea, images had exploded into the scientist's mind.

The three of them, and Kira. Not clones, not some experiment, not someone else's property… just people, spending time together. She loved the idea straight away. In theory, of course.

"You know Sarah is going to take a lot of convincing," Cosima said warningly.

"But you're on board?"

"Yeah. I like it, actually. I think it'd be nice. Helena will certainly feel left out."

"Oh, please. We can't invite Helena. Four identicals in one place? Triplets we can pull off, definitely, but we also can't afford for someone to get stabbed."

"I was joking," Cosima said, wishing Sarah was there to pick up the sarcasm.

"So… how do you wanna do this?" Cosima sighed, hauling herself out of bed. "I know Sarah is at Mrs S' house today."

"How do you know that?"

"I spoke to her this morning," Cosima said, groping around on the floor through both her own clothes and Delphine's. She found the top she was looking for and pulled it over her head.

"Oh," Alison said. "Okay then. Well, I was thinking we just… show up. At the house."

"That's bold. She won't like that."

"Well, it's worth a try. And if she doesn't want to do it, you and I can… oh I don't know. Get a drink. You're not here that often."

Cosima was surprised at Alison's determination, and flattered that she wanted to spend time with her. So after sussing out the finer details, the two decided they would meet at Cosima's hotel and drive to Sarah's, then hopefully, go to Adventure World with Kira.


	2. Chapter 2

Alison pulled up in her van right on time. While the idea had sounded good – and indeed plausible in her mind – it was definitely something else to be putting it into action. The memory of burning Donnie with the hot glue returned to her. She'd hit him with a golf club! Ever since the whole 'clone' debacle, she'd found herself even more prone to having fits of emotional outbursts. (Even violent ones.)

Alison spotted Cosima. Sarah was right; she certainly did have the biggest breasts out of all of them. Perhaps it was her pot-smoking habits? Although, Alison reasoned, she used to have the occasional joint back in college…

As she got closer to the car, Alison gave an exasperated sigh; Cosima was hand in hand with a beautiful blonde woman. She puffed up instantly, frustrated that her dreadlocked identical hadn't consulted her about bringing company. Especially someone who was a monitor! She had wanted this to be as stress-free as possible.

She put the window down as Cosima reached the car.

"Uh, Cosima… I wasn't aware you were bringing… guests."

"You've met Delphine, Alison," Cosima said with a wave of her hand, climbing into the passengers seat.

"You mean you didn't tell her?" Delphine said, almost embarrassed as she got into the back. "Cos, you should have told her you invited me…"

"It's fine, she'll get over it. Plus, it'll be safer having her and Felix around. Well? Are we going, or what?"

Alison was staring at Cosima incredulously. Still glowering, she started the car and they began the drive to Sarah's.

* * *

"I still think there's a chance she'll tell us to clear off," Cosima said as they pulled up.

"Well, it's worth a try," Alison said, checking her appearance in the side mirror.

"Are you nervous about meeting Kira for the first time?" Delphine asked her girlfriend. They got out of the car into the chilly winter air and began walking up the path.

"I'm curious, more than anything," Cosima said. She linked fingers with Delphine as they approached the door.

Alison had barely raised her fist to knock before the door opened, and there was tiny Kira.

"Alison!" she said, beaming, and to the surprise of all three woman at the door, the little girl wrapped her arms around Alison's torso.

"Mom! Mom, it's Alison!" she called out. "And who are you? You look like mommy too."

"I – I'm Cosima."

Cosima did not expect to choke up. Suddenly, everything Alison had said the previous night made even more sense to her. She was inexplicably overcome with emotion, and squeezed Delphine's hand so tightly that her girlfriend had to bring it to her attention.

"Sorry, Delphine," she murmured, wiping tears from under her glasses.

Sarah appeared at the door. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

"What the hell are you three doing here? Is everything okay? Has Helena done something?"

"Relax, we're just here to visit," Alison said. Mrs S appeared behind Sarah and looked equally as confused about the guests at her door.

"Hello, Siobhan. We were wondering if we could come in?"

"Hi Alison. Cosima. Delphine."

"Hello, nice to see you again," Delphine said shyly.

Sarah was barring the door, her hands on Kira's shoulders, eyes darting between the identicals. She looked as if she was having a heavy debate in her mind.

"Let them in, Sarah, it's freezing."

Sarah finally obliged and stood back, allowing the three women to enter the house. Kira took hold of Cosima's hand and dragged her over to the sofa, where she promptly stood on the couch so she could touch her dreadlocks.

"I love your hair. You and Helena have different hair. I think I like yours the best," Kira said, running her fingers over the tight rows. Cosima was grinning something fierce; Delphine couldn't take her eyes of her girlfriend.

"Well, Kira certainly doesn't seem to mind the situation," Mrs S said, taking out several mugs and setting them on the table. Leaving Cosima with Kira in the lounge, Alison, Sarah and Delphine joined each other at the table.

"Where's Felix?" Alison asked. She had taken an immediate liking to Sarah's foster brother. He almost felt like a brother to her, too. Brother. Sisters. How very strange this all was.

"He's out visiting a male friend, I believe," Mrs S answered. "So, ladies. What brings you out here?"

"We thought it might be a nice idea for us to take Kira to Adventure World," Alison said, not wanting to waste time. She gave Sarah a sideways glance to gauge her reaction.

"Adventure World?" Kira called out. The next moment she was in the kitchen, pawing at her mother. "Mommy, can we go to Adventure World with Alison and Cos- Cosy – Cos –"

"Cosima," Cosima said, still grinning as she entered the kitchen after the girl.

"Pleeeease, mommy?"

Sarah looked at her little girl's excited face. She'd been meaning to take Kira to Adventure World for some time now… but the whole clone business had consumed her. And the guilt from having been gone for ten months was still ever-present. Sarah looked at Mrs S; what did she think?

"I think it might be nice," Mrs S said, answering Sarah's thought.

Mrs S poured the tea as they debated the risk of venturing out in public altogether. Midway through the conversation, Kira climbed up on Cosima's lap and had a sip of her tea. Cosima looked positively beside herself with happiness.

* * *

After debating for nearly half an hour, and enduring many pleas from Kira, they had decided it was safe enough for them to go to Adventure World. It appeared that Kira had taken a huge liking to Cosima, and wasted no time in telling her everything about school, her friends, what she thought of Helena, and where did Cosima get her hair done? Sarah watched her daughter, not sure what to make of these bonds that were clearly forming. To Kira, the idea that there were at least three women that looked just like her mother wasn't strange. It was normal to her.

"Can I sit in the back with Cosima?" Kira asked, pulling on her mother's sleeve.

"Sure, monkey."


	3. Chapter 3

Cosima was opening up an entire new way of life to Delphine – and not just because of the science. Watching her girlfriend interact with Kira was stirring something up inside her. She'd given countless hours of thoughts to the dreadlocked scientist, who was the only female she'd ever been romantically involved with. Initially, Delphine had wondered if her attraction was fuelled primarily by the fact that Cosima was so different. She was fascinated by the woman who was possibly part of the greatest feat of modern science; how could she not be attracted to that?

But Cosima was no longer a clone to Delphine. She was an individual. A complex, beautiful and curious individual. With each day that passed, her love for Cosima grew in a way that she had never experienced. And while this was, at times, rather terrifying – she knew that it was well worth it.

She smiled as Kira continued to plague Cosima with questions, and Delphine found herself thinking that her girlfriend would make a wonderful mother. This thought startled her; she'd never really given marriage or motherhood a whole lot of serious thought in the past with her boyfriends.

"So Delphine, do you do the science with Cosima too?" Kira asked, turning to face her. Delphine nodded, catching her girlfriend's eye; Cosima beamed.

"We're not too far away!" Alison called out from the front. Sarah was sitting next to her, arguing about the fastest way to get there.

"Oh, please, Sarah, I'm driving. You can get out and walk if you're going to pester me," Alison snapped.

"Bet your kids love driving with you," Sarah said darkly.

"You have kids, Alison!?" Kira asked excitedly, leaning forward.

"I do, Kira. A boy and a girl."

"Where are they? Can I meet them?"

"Maybe, sweetie. Maybe next time."

Sarah was a little agitated. She knew full well the danger of their situation; being watched constantly, Helena still running around… it hardly seemed like a good idea to start holing up together and doing family-like activities. But on the other hand… Kira did seem to adore Cosima and Alison. Even Helena…

* * *

They pulled up to Adventure World. Kira was so excited, Sarah had to tell her to calm down several times.

"Cosima, can you piggy back me please? I want to play with your hair."

"Of course," Cosima said, kneeling down and allowing the girl to clamber onto her back. Sarah was surprised to feel the corners of her lips pull up into a smile.

The five of them made their way over to the entrance where the ticket kiosks stood. Alison approached a booth, and the young, greasy-haired man behind the glass looked with a wide-eyed expression at the three identical women.

"Woah," he exclaimed. "I've never seen like… legit triplets in real life before. That is so dope."

Alison cleared her throat. It's not like she could correct him.

"Uh. Indeed. Four adults and one child, please," Alison said briskly, handing over her card. Cosima and Sarah immediately objected and pulled out cash, but Alison shook her head and waved away their money.

"My shout," she said.

"Thanks," Cosima said, genuinely thankful. But Sarah stuffed the cash into Alison's purse while she was looking the other way.

"Cute kid you've got," said the man. Cosima was startled by the comment.

"Oh, she's not my daughter, she's…"

"They're my aunties! That's my mommy there. Bye now," Kira said cheerily to the man at the ticket booth. Cosima and Sarah blushed as they all went through the turnstiles. It was a strange feeling to Cosima to have someone believe Kira was hers. And, even more strangely, Sarah didn't feel quite right about claiming that Kira was entirely her own.

* * *

"What would you like to go on first, monkey?" Sarah asked. Kira was still latched onto Cosima's back, who was beginning to show signs of strain.

"And you better get off Cosima now, poppet."

Kira said she wanted to go on the Ferris wheel first, pointing to the giant white ride not too far from them.

Each capsule could hold three people. Kira grabbed Alison's hand, then Sarah's, and dragged them to the ride.

"You two are in love so you can go together," Kira stated candidly to the scientists. It was Delphine's turn to blush.

"She is absolutely adorable," Cosima gushed the moment she and her girlfriend were alone on the ride.

"I know. She's remarkable," Delphine agreed. She locked on to Cosima's gaze, and still feeling that rush of affection for her partner, gently touched her chin and leaned in for a kiss. They heard a muffled squeal of excitement and turned around and looked up to see Kira waving enthusiastically at them.

Cosima and Delphine laughed.

"You know," Delphine said softly as the ride clicked into motion. "You will make a wonderful mother one day. And I think Kira will love having you be a part of her life."

Cosima was touched by Delphine's words.

"Really?" she responded just as softly. "I've… I've known for a long time I couldn't have kids, so I sort of… ruled it out. Biologically speaking, I guess. But Kira is… she's…"

Cosima couldn't find the right words. As the amusement park came into full view as they reached the top, Cosima snuggled in to Delphine, who wrapped her arm around her.

"I love you, Delphine," Cosima whispered.

Delphine's stomach fluttered. She held Cosima even tighter.

"I… I love you too," she whispered back.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the capsule above the lovers, Kira had her hands pressed to the plastic. She was gazing in wonder at the park, and then at the wider city as it came into full view. But something caught her eye and she narrowed her focus. Alison, who had been watching Kira closely, noticed the change in her expression.

"What is it, Kira?" she asked.

"Holy freaking watershed," Cosima exclaimed almost at the same moment as Kira pointed out what had caught her attention.

"It's Helena!"


End file.
